A modelling study of hydrodynamical and biogeochemical processes within the California Upwelling System

TL;DR

This study uses the ROMS model to simulate hydrodynamics and biogeochemistry in the California Upwelling System, validating the model's performance and demonstrating its potential for ecological and climate change impact studies.

Contribution

Introduces a new sponge layer implementation in ROMS and validates its effectiveness for modeling the California Upwelling System's hydrodynamics and ecosystem.

Findings

Model accurately reproduces key hydrodynamic features.

Ecosystem model captures characteristic upwelling and zooplankton structures.

Model provides a basis for future climate impact studies.

Abstract

The ROMS modeling system was applied to the California Upwelling System (CalUS) to understand the key hydrodynamic conditions and dynamics of the nitrogen-based ecosystem using the NPZD model proposed by Powell et al. (2006). A new type of sponge layer has been successfully implemented in the ROMS modelling system in order to stabilize the hydrodynamic part of the modeling system when using so-called reduced boundary conditions. The hydrodynamic performance of the model was examined using a tidal analysis based on tidal measurement data, a comparison of the modeled sea surface temperature (SST) with buoy and satellite data, and vertical sections of the currents along the coast and the water temperature. This validation process shows that the hydrodynamic module used in this study can reproduce the basic hydrodynamic and circulation characteristics within the CalUS. The results of the ecosystem model show the characteristic features of upwelling regions as well as the well-known spotty horizontal structures of the zooplankton community. The model thus provides a solid basis for the hydrodynamic and ecological characteristics of the CalUS and enables the ecological model to be expanded into a complex ecological model for investigating the effects of climate change on the ecological balance in the area investigated.